How Bad Is The Drought After That Latest Big Storm?
KPIX 5 Morning Weather Anchor Roberta Gonzales answers the questions you never get to ask on-air.
Q: Hey Roberta, how are we looking drought-wise after this past week's rain? - Greg Norman, Antioch
A: Better, but not nearly out of the woods. It took us nearly four years to get into this predicament, it's going to take a few years to get out.
After four days of rainfall, the San Francisco Bay Area has seen SOME relief to some areas, while other regions remain in "EXTREME to EXCEPTIONAL Drought. Over a foot of rain accumulated in Venado (12 miles west of Healdsburg) and as a result, the coastal mountains are now considered in a "Severe Drought", not as dismal as the remaining Bay Area. In fact, many interior valleys received less than 1 inch of precipitation in the rain gauge and the Salinas Valley tallied less than 1/2 inch from the Friday through Monday rain event. Not nearly enough to note markedly improved conditions there.
Here's where the News gets worse. Despite the local rainfall, Sierra snowpack remains extremely low and this shows no signs of improving soon. Diminished are any hopes for filling our larger reservoirs later this year. Although some reservoirs have risen as of late, without the abundance of snow, there will be little runoff to raise water levels in local reservoirs.
The extended outlooks indicates it is very much possible, the Bay Area will be dry and remain "rainless" for the rest of the month of February. In addition, expect above average daily high temperatures marking this, the warmest Bay Area Winter on Record.
Do you have a question, observation or picture to share with me? I would love to hear form you! Please email me at: Gonzales@kpix.cbs.com
Thank you for your efforts with water conservation!
